The Daily Word of Righteousness

The "Singles" Group, #3

Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; (Isaiah 49:8)

The new covenant is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus comes to an individual. Christ says, "Here, let Me take your personality—the evil and the good of it. I am ready to accept full responsibility for you. I have the authority, based on My death on the cross, to forgive all your past sins. In addition, I am willing to take the responsibility for all that you are and all that you do from this point forward.

"Because My Father has made Me your Judge you do not have to concern yourself with any other standard of righteousness. Neither man nor spirit can lay anything to your charge. From now on you are My responsibility. I alone am your Judge."

Current Christian teaching proceeds to this point and then departs from the new covenant. It maintains that Christ takes all the responsibility for our sins—past, present, and future, and then leaves us waiting to die and go to Heaven to live in a mansion forever.

The current teaching does not place nearly enough emphasis on what follows our receiving of Christ.

The Lord Jesus goes on to say, "Now that you are My responsibility I want you to live in Me, with Me, and for Me. I want you to seek My face with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. I want you to eat My flesh and drink My blood. I want you to abide in Me in all that you are and do.

"I want you to be married to Me. You no longer belong to yourself. You belong to Me and I require stern obedience to My will.

"I am not interested in part of your heart. I demand all of your heart. If you will not give Me all of your heart and your life, I will not abide in you and with you.

"I am God! I will share your love with no other. I will be first in your heart or I will not remain in your heart. As long as you truly desire that I be your Lord I will remain with you. But I will cast down every other throne that I find in your personality. You shall have no other gods before Me."

We are dead to the Law of Moses so we may be married to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our marriage to the Lord Jesus always brings forth His image in us.

Jesus did not come merely to forgive the guilt of the sin of the world. The Lord Jesus came to remove the sin of the world. Christ destroys the works of the devil (I John 3:8).

The Lord Jesus forgives us so He may save us.

To be saved is to be "delivered" from sin. Salvation is deliverance—not only or primarily forgiveness, but deliverance! What an enormous gulf there is between forgiveness and deliverance!

To be continued.